MovieChat Forums > Die Nibelungen: Kriemhilds Rache (1924) Discussion > Did Hagen actually ... (spoilers)

Did Hagen actually ... (spoilers)

posted 13 years ago by Gloede_The_Saint
4 replies | jump to latest

Did he really kill the kid? We see Hagen draw his sword and in the next second we see Kriemhild holding her dead child and screaming that he's dead. I kept thinking that Kriemhild killed her child and blamed it on Hagen in order to get Attila on her side. It really didn't seem like Hagen could have slayed the kid so fast, and what motivation could he have to kill his king's nephew? Furthermore none of his companions ever commented on the child slaying. Any thoughts?

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[–] Ralf A. 12 years ago

I wasn´t sure as well and watched the scenes repeatedly. But although you cannot definitely judge it (because the killing DOES happen off-screen), I´m pretty sure, Hagen did kill the child - but I think that was "too much" to show at that time ...

And of course in the poem "Nibelungenlied" it clearly is Hagen who decapitates the child so we can assume Lang had no intention of changing that detail.

[–] Gloede_The_Saint 12 years ago

Ah, ok, thanks. I guess Kriemhild wasn't that bad then.

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[–] syntinen 11 years ago

Or maybe she was: since in the original story Kriemhild actually tells her little boy to go up to Hagen and slap his face. Having known Hagen all her life she knows perfectly well what his reaction will be; she's prepared to get her child killed in order to kick off the massacre she wants.

[–] prolelol (1420) 4 years ago

Yes, I'm pretty he did.